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The publications Apricot tree May be therefore, that the twentieth century will be rolled by the end, or any centrifugal force uncontrollably attracts somewhere in a flow of life, “the verbal shooting” on TV and radio is now perceived: “Come on, louder, stronger, more quickly, more expensive … crash, terrorism …” It twiks so that the eyes and ears get into habit to these terrible videos and speeches and words, to deafening music, to continuous tows of the television clips, in a mad rhythm of life not only they can’t listen and understand each other or can’t manage to go it, but may be they even don’t want to. Fortunately, is still a small island of people, where they haven’t forgotten to understand and to be pleased to simple things: to flowers, grass, tree, solar heat, snow winter, silent song. They’re able to be pleased and to share this pleasure with the others. In one such islands there is Moscow Armenian Chamber Chorus. Here slow music movement and reflection, beauty and greatness of silent harmony is appreciated. Moscow Armenian Chamber Chorus doesn’t aspire to strike public with exotic repertoir, by amount of loudly sung notes. It seems, everything is very classical and simple: the small chorus of the staff structure sing without accompany of any musical instrument, relying on best instrument in the world - human vote. Here, no one is in a hurry to begin to singin. Slowly settling on the stage, the singers wait for concentration and silence in a hall, because not only they must be ready, but also the audience. Like an arrow from the belt the notes “la; si-re-fa” or “la; sol-si-re” are sounded by the art director and main conductor Nelli Andriassian. Qust this working moment is becoming the connecting beginning between the singers and the public, involving the audience into the necessary musical and psychological tone. From the first of the moment, when the conductor begins to building the sound temple, the public finds itself in a forgotten world or nearly forever lost soul condition. It is difficult to define where is the magic influence of the sound hidden. When you find yourself in a sound-field of the chorus, you feel as if you are incculcating the fourth measurement: opens the veil of knowledge and appears ability to perceive intangible, to understand earlier inaccessible, to comprehend secret. Colours and flesh of a sound (when it is a mark, a symbol, a sense, a word, tears, pain, mountain, pleasure) comes from the contents and primary meaning of music. The tradition is perfected by centuries and the singer only needs to understand – what is there behind the notes lines, why just thees the composer addresses to us. A skilled conductor maces the program, which sounds skilfully painted partitura: little lower or higher, here starts an effective crescendo, you can see a very pretty picture. But it does not touch and does not disturb. After a concert of the Armenian chorus you cannot come back in your ordinary - habitual a condition of soul soon, at midnight you cannot close you eyes, music is the momentary temporary art, it sounds for a long time inside, wakes memories. Each musical work is a poem, sensation of a condition of ground, water, sky in certain temporary piece. The chorus leader and singer – Arshak Gadzian is a composer, the perfect musician. Hi has found, on my sight, the capacious definition - "the stiffened sound " which is surprising.Here unsteady impreaceptible shadows are vibrating. And as a contrast there is an elastic rhythm, powerful sound, reflecting the severe beauty of a nature or the force of spirit of the people. I am sure, if the artist who would like to embody an alive picture of a sound, he will have a big succes titled “Water Colors of a Choral Concert”. When you get acquainted with repertoir of chorus, which has celebrated its 10 year this year, you’ll understand that the chorus goes to its unsimple purpose. The chorus lives and works in Moscow. It is created by the Union of the Composers of Armenia, and after disintegration USSR the chorus appears on the will of waves. The House of Culture of Armenia in Moscow was closed and the Union of the Composers of Armenia has moved to Yerevan. In 1992 the chorus became legally by independent organization and it had to care of the existence. The purposes and tasks it puts before itself quite noble and hard: to restore tradition of the Armenian National Culture in Russia, to create constantly working " the Cultural Bridge " between Armenia and Russia, to support the process of cultural and spiritual approachement between the people of Russia and Armenia. It is brightly seen in the repertoir of the chorus. The repertior includes Armenian spiritual music of 4- 20 centuries (M.Mashtots, S.Sjunetsi, Komitas, M.Ekmalyan, G.Narekatsy, A.Gadzian), Armenian classical, national and modern music (treatment of national songs by Komitas, T.Altunian, I.Andriasian, Y.Arutunian), Russian spiritual music (S.Degtyaryov, D.Bortniansky, M.Beyozovsky, M.Glinka, P.Tchaykovsky, S.Rakhmaninov), Russian classical and national music (S.Taneyev, M.Musorgsky, P.Tchaykovsky, P, Thcecnokov, A.Grechaninov ), West-European spiritual and classical music (I.S.Bakh, H.Shjts, V.A.Motsart, H.Persell, G.Verdy, Sh.Guno). At all discomfort of present life, the creative activity of the chorus is amazing. It is always having concerts, several times the chorus has visited the zone of earthquake in Armenia (with charitable concerts). The chorus has realized the chariatable mission in the most suffered from Chernobyl exedent regionsof Byelorussia, on various festivals of spiritual and secular music. The chorus is one of the basic participants of the program "Preservation of Orthodox Culture" of Russian Orthodox Church. It writes down CD "1500 years history of Armenian sacred music", "Russian spiritual music", "Patarag" (Messa) by Komitas. Some CD are issued in cooperation with a museum of musical culture, the hall where the chorus often has concerts. Nelli Andriassian, the art director of the chorus, follows the tradition of the Russian Academic Chorus – A.V.Sveshnikov, V.P.Stepanov and A.Urlov. She created chamber choruses in Perm, Tula, she is the founder of chorus - masterclasses for conductor and chorus leaders in Moscow. Many of her students become the outstanding figures of musical art of Russia and other countries. Faultless taste and sense of measure, iron will, highest professional skill of the conductor inform to chorus that unique manner of execution which submits the audience. Our bow to Nelli Andriassian for her selfless noble work, generous talent which has allowed her together with her chorus make a real feat by carrying out the record “Patarag” (Messa) by Komitas, which has not sounding in the concerts. Let's trust in Arshak Gadzian for an estimation and definition of a role of this work in a world musical culture: "Patarag" is one of the main results of Armenian spiritual work for all its history and including the prechristian experience". It is pleasure and possible to tell about chorus much and long. I hope we’ll have opportunity to return to conversation about it. But now … Now again lonely island is seen in ordinary vital sea. On it there is the grown apricot tree *, which roots go deep into the ancient fertile ground, which branches uplifted the spring flowers or burdened juicy fruits to the sky. Like this is Armenian Chorus, it grows, keeps and returns half-forgottn or lost musical culture of ancestors to ths people, prolongs life to musical classics, acquaints with music of modernity.
* - " An Apricot tree " - treatment of the national song by Komitas, a song from repertoir of chorus. Irina Medvedeva
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